Power Bottom (On Power)

I've seen some TV shows. I'm not really a fan, but every once in awhile I indulge. I was wandering through the bookstore in Central World (one of my favorite places in Bangkok), and I saw a magazine cover that reminded me of this show.

It's one where the chef runs the kitchen and a restaurant in some reality show Stateside. There's a bunch of em I know about, but this one in particular. It always strikes me.

So, there's this guy that heads a restaurant. He's always in charge, and no one is interested in questioning him. He decides the menu, the table settings, the hired help, and who gets to stay or go there.

In other words, the head chef chooses a protege or new talent from a pool of potential reality show contestants as he runs a restaurant. All of the newbies use the show as a launching point, hoping to become a disciple of this famous reality chef.

The kick is though, that he's kind of a not-so-nice guy. At his pleasure, he's prone to berating staff and fellow chefs in a pretty tough and nasty barrage of expletives. People spend their time trying to avoid his eye in the kitchen because everyone, they know, finds themselves open to his anger.

Luckily for the head chef, almost everyone at the restaurant in fact reveres him --- or is scared of him. It could be a combination of both. But all of them find themselves apologizing to him following his explosive, f-bomb laden lash outs.

That was really interesting to me... Was it him, was it them, was it that they were all on TV?

I read about the story a little more deeply, and read that many of them had received donations to charities or family members that were in need of help prior to or after the show. All of them in some way felt indebted to the guy I thought -- whether it be the contestants or his own employees -- maybe that's why they so readily accepted the tongue lashings from this reality show head cheese.

He got to berate and storm; yell and scream at people trying to cook their way into his famous restaurant. All of them accepted his tongue lashings and no one ever questioned his tactics to his face. Instead, they all apologized to him for causing him to lose his temper or face. Anything to get on a reality show, I guess.

People will do anything to ensure their survival, or what they think they need to survive.... That is a lesson I have to take to heart too I guess.

I also watched a documentary on the Kennedy family the other day. I'll spare you the details this time. I think you've probably heard about that a couple times, or you really don't care. I'll give you a break.

I'm busy too so... I gotta run... I'm working on cooking the perfect omellete :-P.